hey-lookatus

Happy Mother's Day to our Grandma's!!!

2010-05-09T13:55:00.004-06:00

We hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day. We wish we could be there with you!!!! Lots of love!!! Eden, Jack, Emry, and Willa

Swimming in a sea of PINK!!!!

2010-03-23T22:57:00.002-06:00

Wow....it's a girl!!! I honestly didn't have a feeling either way of what this baby was, but I must admit, I am really surprised that it's a girl! Maybe I would have been just as surprised if I was told it was a boy. I think that the reality of this baby coming so soon into our world is what surprises me the most! We are SO excited for her to come. I am just so SHOCKED by how fast this has gone by! I can honestly say, I have NEVER felt that any pregnancy went by fast.

We told the kids that we were celebrating something really special with pink ice cream. After a ton of guesses - none that even remotely came close. We annoucned that the pink ice cream was for their baby sister. We got nothing....no reaction for about 30 seconds and then Eden's eyes grew big and shouted "You mean we are having new baby sister?!" Jack then responded, "Oh, I thought that baby in your tummy was going to be a boy. I guess you will now have two baby girls and then another one and another one and another one and then a boy." (UHHHH...NO!) Emry, after hearing Jack's comments exclaimed, "Mom, no eat baby in your tummy, don't eat babies, babies not for eating!" Willa - happily slept through all of this. Her world as she knows it will end soon enough!

Hmmm.

2009-12-01T00:14:00.002-07:00

I can't seem to figure out how it is possible that Eden - turning eight has never had a cavity. Nate who went 16 - yes it really does say 16 - years between cleanings and never had one cavity or anything to even clean for that matter - but I take my SWEET little Emry who is two into the dentist today and she has TWO cavities, needs FOUR root canals, and FOUR crowns!!! She's TWO!!! And nope, she does not drink from a bottle...never has...does not go to sleep with juice....this mean mom rarely gives out juice...and nope, she doesn't suck on lemons or limes (shocker)...but somehow her poor little teeth are completely disintegrating! I felt SO sick when I was told what needs to be done, but what was worse was picturing Emry with her four front teeth all SILVER!

Attempts

2009-11-13T21:29:00.006-07:00

Just a quick attempt to update this thing - I should now be good until after the new year.

Eden lost another tooth this past week. She was so thrilled, now she can have "Bunny Teeth!" She makes the cutest little bunny. Jack is now constantly asking when his teeth will come out. Eden is now on a count down to her 8th birthday. Just 19 more days!!! I have cried at every baptism that I've attended this year. How has 8 years gone so quickly? Just a few days ago, Nate found me sitting in the closet crying while I was on the phone. My friend was giving me some great ideas on how to make Eden's baptism day memorial...and of course, that set me OFF! I am going to be good for nothing that day! How I love that sweet Eden!!!

Nate's big day is coming up in just two short weeks!!! I couldn't be prouder of him...and perhaps a tad bit concerned. He's traded in his love of biking for running. Not just any ol' running...we're talking extreme-crazy-kick -butt running. Nate and his good friends are diligent at finding extreme trail runs, bare foot running (I don't see the logic or the fun - then again, this is why I am amazed at him!) He and his friends signed up to run a 20 miler extreme (more like insane) race in Moab in Feb. Seriously, this race makes a regular ol' marathon look like a leisure jog in the park. All I can say, is go get-em!(and please come back alive!) I wasn't ever all too concerned until I heard them talking about mountain lions and falling off cliffs! I'm failing miserably at the attempt to get him to commit running in a marathon with me...he thinks the courses look "too dull!" I wish I could just get a snippet of his enthusiasm!

I had other pictures that were up here...but somehow I have managed to delete them...so I am calling it a night and perhaps one day I'll venture to attempt putting them back up here.

TWO MONTHS ALREADY?

2009-08-25T13:43:00.003-06:00

I just love Willa's birth announcement! My friend came over when Willa was one week old and took some super cute pictures. Of course, I have yet to get them on here - My ultra talented cousin, Maurita, made the announcement. I am so lucky to have talented people in my life!

It's hard to believe Willa is two months old tomorrow ! I was so lucky to have my mom come down for a month! There is a whole lot that has happened in the past few months - but the best moments were when we had family come visit! We were so happy to have Ana, Scott, and Alison come...pictures may someday be posted. My sister Jodi and Lance came and also my brother Jon from Missouri just showed up the night before Willa's blessing. It was such a fun surprise to see him and I couldn't believe everyone kept it from me! Willa is just growing too fast!!!!! She has the most adorable smile and she melts our hearts with every coo she gives us. Jack and Emry imitate every sweet sound she makes and I love hearing their interpretation of what they mean. Jack is sure every sound means, "Ah, I love you Jack!" and I am sure she is saying that too. I don't know if there could ever be a sweeter big brother than Jack!

Presenting Willa Harper Jacob.....

2009-06-30T14:51:00.008-06:00

We are all just so excited that our sweet Willa is here at last!
From 6:34 pm - when we called our good friends to watch our kids, driving to their home and dropping them off, to speeding down the slow streets of Montrose, making our way to the emergency entrance -only for no one respond -to Nate finding his own wheel chair, sprinting me to the maternity ward and Willa being born at 6:53pm - the shirt says it all!

As quickly as she came - it was even quicker for us to fall madly in love with this sweet 8 lb 20 inch Blondie!

Everyone was just in awe of her - we had such a difficult time naming her. One look at her and we knew she was not an Ava - which you would have thought that Finley would have definitely been her name.

I tried for the night calling her Finley and all the next day. We were both ready to leave the hospital at 2 pm - all that needed to be done was fill in the birth certificate. After playing around with different spellings of Finley - I just wrote Willa Harper down (one of Nate's original names, that had long been left undiscussed) This is what occurred for the next three and a half hours. Kids going crazy - playing in the closet trying to amuse themselves while I struggled on a name. Willa just seems a perfect fit for her. I got my wish that she was born on my grandpa's birthday and his name is Willam - it just was perfect!

Willa is so blessed to have such a wonderful sister. Eden just adores her and is the greatest help!

Jack is so sweet with her - he will walk in the room and say, "Guess what, I wanna hold baby Cinderella!"

We are overwhelmingly surprised at how Emry is with Willa. She just LOVES her. She constantly wants to wrap her up in her diaper changing pad and that is the only challenge we are facing with her.

We love this sweet baby and are so thrilled that she has finally come!

I can drive 55

2009-06-26T11:30:00.002-06:00

I know pretty pathetic title....but HOLY SCHMOLLIES....55 pounds deserves some sort of theme! I was completely spoiled by having Emry so early, that being pregnant for the whole 9 months is really for the birds! Just one day until the big due date and I am SO hopeful that I won't go over. Today would be a wonderful day to have her. She would share the same birthday as my grandpa and it is also my grandpa's and grandma's anniversary...sounds like a plan to me! Now if she will just cooperate! Since the beginning of June I have been hopeful that she would come any day, but here we are the end of June and still no baby....but also still no name. We are hoping that once we see her one of the names we like will really just fit her!

I love whenever Emry hears the word baby, if we are reading it in a story or she hears someone says it, she runs up and points to my belly! Emry suddenly seems so big to me. It is going to be a BIG change in our home with her being a big sister!
I was SO sure that I would have this baby in the middle of June that I signed my kids up for swimming the first session and wouldn't even consider going for the next session.

Now I really wish I would have. Jack and Eden loved every moment....okay, that's a lie. It took Jack some getting used to, but once he was willing to get off the steps - he LOVED it. Poor Emry cried every morning for the two weeks when Jack and Eden got to put on their swimming suits.

EMRY TURNS TWO!!!!

2009-04-25T18:43:00.006-06:00

Our sweet Emry is TWO today! We simply just adore her...she has SO much personality! She shows us daily just how much personality she has, ranging from down right melt your heart sweetness to pull-your hair out orneriness!

We just love that she now gives smooches...when we asked before she would simply screech "NUH-UH!"

The "NUH-UH" that she would respond to everything with, has now been replaced with an emphatic "NO!" I thought it was simply adorable to hear her sweet voice, that I would ask her silly questions just to hear her say "NO." I am now ready for her to move on to new words. She has completely mastered the word, "Mine"....she sounds just like the seagulls from Finding Nemo...she won't stop saying it until someone finally acknowledges that, yes indeed, whatever she is talking about is hers.

What better way than to start your birthday than with a plate full of "Bawoon, bawoon, bawoon....mine....mine...mine!"

It was hard to convince her that she needed to eat real food for breakfast.

The birthday girl got to choose what she wanted for breakfast. She thoroughly enjoyed the power that was given to her. After five minutes of telling me "that one...no, that one...yes, that one....no, that one" (you get the idea) She finally made a decision.

"Wow, mine" is all Emry could say when she opened her presents.

Emry blowing out her candles

Two of my favorite things about Emry -

Our bedtime ritual....she has to have her two babies tucked into bed with her and besides her regular bedding, she has to have two of Jack's old blankets, Eden's old blanket and one of her blankets wrapped snug around herself and her babies. She then tells me to kiss her and her babies and points out the door for me to leave.

Our morning ritual - Emry brings in her two babies and four blankets and enthusiastically exclaims, "MINE," and then demands that we snuggle!

Emry was so THRILLED to get her own watering can for her birthday. Whenever we pull into the garage Emry shrieks, "Mom's, Mom's, MOM's" and will only stop once someone says, "Yes, that is mom's watering can."

So what did the birthday girl really really really want to do to celebrate her birthday? She wanted to get in the big tub with the big kids and try out a sweet pair of goggles.

Since it was her birthday....why not? She didn't enjoy the tub at all....but LOVED LOVED LOVED the goggles! And who wouldn't looking that stylin' in them?

We are so happy that we have our Emry. She brings alot of excitement into our house. (Eden would rather me say alot of crying into our house, which is true...but I believe that crying is definitely a form of excitement.) We LOVE LOVE LOVE Emry!

Are you smarter than a fifth grader?

2009-04-08T20:49:00.006-06:00

Am I smarter than a fifth grader...the answer is quite simple...no, I am not. I won't even pretend that I am. There was a time in my life where I could say with confidence that yes I would be at least that smart. I really am baffled that I have a Bachelor's of Science degree and really I had a high GPA - something seriously has happened to me over the last 9 years. I no longer have any retention of knowledge, I have a superb vocabulary of made up words, and my most frequent response to questions asked to me by my seven year old daughter is, "That is an amazing question, I don't know the answer!"

I'll tell you what I think has happened, with each pregnancy each baby has taken a portion of me. Eden, I firmly believe took all my smarts! Jack, all my strength. Emry, my charm as well as my orneriness (okay, she didn't take all of the orneriness...there was just too much of it in me for her to take it all!) This baby....hum, well there is not much left to take, but yep, I'm pretty sure she has zapped all my grace and will be blessed to be slender when she is older. So, what will be left of me? It will be pretty interesting to find out!
But, now for the real reason, I delve into this whole wondering what has happened to me being smart....I am just simply amazed at Eden! She's in first grade and has repeatedly tested at a third grade level and in some areas fourth or fifth grade. Today, her teacher stopped me to tell me that Eden just took another MAPS test. This set was done on the computer and everyone had 30 minutes to complete it....she did hers in 12 minutes and tested at an eighth grade level! Yes, you read right...an eighth grade level! WOW! I was blown away!
We have really struggled since she entered kindergarten in the public school system. They just do not have programs for kids that are above their own level here in Montrose. I don't believe that letting her skip a grade is the answer either. In third grade they have an advance class, but it only meets once a week. We really want her to be challenged and to be learning everyday. I wish we knew what to do. Nate really would like me to home school her....if I thought for a moment I could be effective and still deal with my other kids, I would already be doing it. We are so proud of her....not because she's so smart...but like we tell her, what makes us proud of her is that she always tries to do her BEST.
I'll be honest, I am afraid she is too hard on herself, she is a perfectionist and gets down on herself when she makes a mistake. I don't want her to think she has to be perfect in all things... Funny thing is that her penmanship is just satisfactory....her teacher told me that I should work on her with that. I actually told her, that I was glad that she had something in her life that she wasn't concerned about being perfect. I encourage Eden to be neater when she writes, but I hate to add one more weight for her to worry about. I sure do love that girl. She amazes me everyday. She has been saying for a few months now that she wants to be a Scientist when she grows up. Then she continues to maul over what type of Scientist she would like to be. Wow, when I was her age the most ambitious thing I wanted to do was be a hairdresser!

Sweet Moments

2009-03-30T11:26:00.003-06:00

It doesn't get any better than happy loving kids!!! Emry loves to follow Jack around and is so happy when Jack is willing to play with her. Thay can be the best of friends (on some days!)

3 months and 2 days...

2009-03-25T20:52:00.002-06:00

Considering Christmas was just three months ago...and it still feels like it was yesterday (especially with these freezing temperatures and snow!)...I am a tad bit nervous! Three months is all we have until this new sweet baby girl comes to our home! I don't remember ever feeling so nervous before! Everyone assures me that four is so EASY!!! I wish I believed that - or could get a guarantee on that would even be better! All three kids have been sick on and off for the last two weeks and I don't know how I could be spread any thinner! (That's a pretty ironic description of how I feel, since I have NEVER been so huge in all my life - I am really scared physically of what I will look like in three months!)
I don't think I have ever quite experienced the "clumsiness" that pregnancy induces. Let me just share with you my past two days! It began by me painting our dining room...still not sure how I managed...but I fell holding my tray of paint (this is a pretty close match to the color we chose) and ended up wedged between two chairs and had to call for help. I literally was stuck and couldn't move - I think Nate really did have a hard time holding back his laughter to ask if I was alright. This morning, I decided Nate ought to be the one to finish the trim - safer for the whole family - so I was moving our pictures and wouldn't you know it my hand went right through the glass sending fragments of glass everywhere! Yep, Nate was a bit surprised when he walked into the room and saw me trying to tweeze tiny shards of glass out of my hand. Honestly, I feel like I am a hazard - trying to make dinner tonight, I ended up missing the bowl that I was suppose to be putting the oil into - not sure how that is even possible - but the oil ended up on the counter top and Emry very upset with me. I spilt a full box of baking soda - even though those boxes look small....believe me - that is one big mess to clean up! The best thing about being clumsy while being pregnant is that I forget half of the clumsy things I do. I know there was quite the extensive list of clumsy acts I did - but hey, I'm pregnant and I simply can't remember anything any more. If I am to learn anything from this...it's not to get so mad at my kids when they have accidents....meaning Emry who naturally spills anytime she is sitting at the table or anywhere else for that matter! Well, I am not sure how I even got on this tangent...this certainly wasn't what I was going to write about...but, again being pregnant, I really can't seem to stay focused for too long. I really hope that I stay this way forever!

It's been awhile...

2009-02-19T14:34:00.003-07:00

I am finally going to update this thing. I really should put pictures on and catch up from the last five months...but, since I have about three minutes to write...I'll just jump to the present! We went in for our ultrasound today. As we dropped Eden off at school, she told me..."Mom, make sure you do everything you can to have this be a boy!" She so desperately wants it to be even in our house...and she's not so sure about having another girl, now that she can see Emry in her full glory at age 2!! After 40 minutes of serious prodding and poking...and having the tech leave twice to graph her results....our baby finally gave up a tiny peak....I'm not sure how to tell Eden that she is having another sister! I really was shocked. I thought we were having boy! Now, I have no excuse for my excessive aggression. We are pretty excited...we have pretty stinkin' cute girls I must say! Now we just have to come up with a name...which I think is about as difficult as delievery itself! We've got nothing right now. Our boy list was quite nice...but girls.....notta, zip, zilch...it's a good thing we found out so we have a good 18 weeks to figure out something!

Happy birthday Grandma Jacob

2008-10-01T20:04:00.003-06:00

Since I can't seem to post a video using hotmail....you all get to see my beautiful kids doing what they do best!!!

Happy birthday Grandma Jacob....we love you!

Grass...beautiful grass

2008-09-30T13:07:00.003-06:00

Nothing like good ol' fashion hard work to make you feel like you are getting OLD!!! We spent all last week working on laying sod and moving rock to get our yard put together! Honestly, it felt wonderful to do yard work! (Even if I couldn't move the next day!) I have missed it so much this past year! The kids were thrilled when the grass was all laid. They ran out at night and just laid on it to watch the stars. Our yard here is so HUGE!!! We are going to have two large garden spots and plenty of more room to play. I can't wait to plant a garden...I know, I have to wait a long time. But it just about killed me to have to pay for tomatoes!!! Eden has so many great ideas of what else can go in our yard, trampoline, sandbox, playset, rivers, bridges, ahh yes, and a dog! (Sorry, that one is NOT going to happen for about 11 more years!)

I am kind of nervous with just how big these garden spots really are!

Ahhh, those summer days

2008-09-14T15:33:00.003-06:00

Our summer was so much fun! We loved having our company! Eden and grandma on the drive back from Grand Mesa....I wish I had a picture of their faces when the GIANT bug was on them! Priceless!

Everyone loved having Uncle Jeff and Kim come for a visit....Jack and Emry have a new tradition, thanks to Grandma Jacob.....they MUST have popcorn and sit in the circle at Target!

When did my baby get so big...Eden is wearing the dress I had my flower girls wear at our wedding.

Eden started karate lessons and is LOVING it!
Emry was determined to ride this bike!

Our canoeing trip at Ridgeway.

We had a fun BBQ after canoeing ...loved evreything but the snake! We had a very fun hike at Grand Mesa with Grandma!

Grandma was loved by all! Jack's favorite saying..."Guess what, I love you!"
The first of many addicting trips to Target!
Eden on her first day of grade one! It's a good thing Grandma Jacob was here to distract me from crying all day!
My favorite thing....seeing Nate and Eden ride bikes together.
Ahh, oh I miss those walks we would go on!

Summer has gone by all too quickly! A great big thanks to everyone who came to visit us! We loved every minute of it and miss you all so much!

As for now....we are still praying that our home in Boise will sell! That still continues to plague us! Eden is enjoying school, loving karate, and rockin' out on the piano. Jack and Emry are learning to get along with each other on our daily runs! Each morning after dropping Eden off at school, I strap them in the double jogger and out we head! Emry constantly hits Jack and Jack wails at Emry and I am too out of breath to yell at them...so we make our runs short so my neighbors can enjoy their mornings! Nate is busy with work as always....little does he know what I have planned for him this week....I think it is high time we get some landscaping done! I am sure he will thank me in the long run!

Box Canyon Falls

2008-08-22T18:12:00.006-06:00

Our next adventure with Grandma took us to Box Canyon Falls in Ouray! Grandma DID IT!!!! The stairwell that led to the falls....most terrifying part of the whole trip!

Grandma surverying how to get across to the falls!

A view of what we walked along to get to the falls

SHE MADE IT!!!!! YAY, we were so excited grandma did it! It was so cold at the bottom, but we had a great time!

RELIEF!!!

Emry was WORN out at the end of the hike! After our picnic we had so much fun seeing all the fish and turtles at the pond and it was even better that it was on solid ground!

We were so impressed with grandma being so willing to come on these excursions.....we were eagerly planning our next adventure!

Black Canyon

2008-08-22T16:26:00.005-06:00

We have loved having Grandma Jacob with us! We decided since she was willing to conquer one of her fears by boarding a tiny twin prop plane to come to Montrose....we would push our luck and force her to conquer more fears.....thus began our first adventure going to the newest National Park.....Black Canyon National Park....just 20 minutes from our house!
It was so breathtaking....literally breath taking! The drop off was imidiate... there were many moments were grandma and I held our breath and felt weak from watching the kids get so close to the edge!
Grandma and Eden demonstrating the multi uses for an orange at our yummy picnic.

Eden and Jack enjoyed bird watching....I would have loved it a bit more if it wasn't such an imidiate drop off!

This is the point were Grandma was a tad panicked...okay, I was too....I literally ran down the trail to "save" my kids from their father who led the kids so dangerously close to the edge. He did nothing but roll his eyes and laugh at me!

We all had so much fun and were so tired by the end of the day! Yay....one down....our next plan was to take Grandma to Box Canyon Falls!!!!

Summer accomplishments

2008-08-05T13:24:00.004-06:00

nate - hit 50 miles/hr on his bike, landscaped half of the front yard, surpassed his longest hours at work in 8 years, killed more spiders and crickets in one month than the previous 8 years of marriage for his loving terrified wife

eden - mastered riding a two wheeler, going down water slides by herself, jumping into the deep end of the pool, finished her piano books, passed off all her first and second grade words.

emry - survived all four molars coming in at one time, learned how to climb on everything, decided she can sleep through the night, and now enjoys whole milk!!!

jack - discovered the joys of being a big boy...undies, mastered the art of scooter and tricycle riding, learned that fruit is really better than fruit snacks, and revels in his new found talent...his bargaining skills with mom and dad!
jana - matured to the age of 32, admitting it really is going to be okay to dye grey hairs, tried her first diet ever....successfully stayed on for four weeks, threw a large ice cream party which was very entertaining and the downfall of the diet, finished reading six books - not children's, and decided she needs to get her act together to run a marathon again!

We love to celebrate all of our little accomplishments - even celebrate that the window was clean for five whole minutes before this cute face appeared!

Here ya go....

2008-07-16T21:55:00.014-06:00

Our time in Canada was, oh so fun. Uncle Jordan put on the greatest treasure hunt ever! We went all over town and Eden and Jack were thrilled with the treasure they found!

Eden and Jack wanted nothing to do with us while we were in Canada. Between grandma, grandpa, Uncle Jeff and Uncle Jordan, they simply were in heaven! And it was a nice break for us!

Jack had to go to the dentist...first time. It was TRAUMATIC!

He goes back this Friday to fill a cavity...we are all nervous about this. We've worked up a little bribe.......................................................

Jack greatest loves are the park, bowling and golfing(and me, of course!)...so if he lets the dentist fix his tooth without crying....we will go bowling. He is very excited about this...I hope this really works!

Emry has been cutting all four molars for over a month now, and she is miserable! Between the Tylenol, Gripe Water, popsicles, frozen peas, Oral gel, ice cream, and Canadian freezies....she is getting a well rounded meal and is incredibly happy when she gets her way!

One of Eden's favorite things is getting the new friend magazine. Once she recieved July's issue, she asked if she could draw a picture to send in. She is ANXIOUSLY awaiting the August issue. It's already been a long month of asking if the friend has come yet!

We planted some flowers in our front....YAY! But, there is still a very long long way to go! We thought we were pretty smart....we picked up some turf at home depot so we could put the pool up. Yep, we really know how to put a yard together!

Our fourth of July was great. We went up to Ouray to watch the parade, have a picnic, swim for hours and hours in the hot springs and water slides, play at the park, eat, and watch the fireworks! The only thing missing was family and good friends! Next year, we need someone to come visit. Ouray, really is the perfect little town! We have just fallen in love with it!

After two years of being stagnant....we finally brought out the canoe again! We had so much fun going up to the State park that is 15 minutes from us with our good friends, the Maxwell's. This is something I want to do every weekend!

Things that I do not have pictures of.... potty training Jack....(not going so well)! I try to tell myself to relax, I have had so many mother's tell me that their son's were not potty trained until 4 and a half....that really could be me too. My dear dear friend Sarah from Boise completely surprised me and made me so happy! She drove 12 hours with her four children to see only me! We had such fun ...three days of talking, I couldn't manage to take one single picture. Next time I promise, we will leave the house and do something!

This past week I have been reflecting on all our many blessings! I found out that one of my friends from Boise past away, she had two small children, and then two days later our neighbor passed away! I have just felt the need to hug my children a little tighter and be with them a little longer! I have the greatest life! I get to be with my three amazing children every day! I get to hear their silly jokes and be told how much they love me. We have been trying to have Jack say his prayers without help....we told him to tell what he was thankful for....he said everyone's name except Emry. When we asked him if he was thankful for her, he said, "no, she hits me all the time, and pulls my hair, and hurts me." It's so true, she is terribly mean to him......but then he decided that he really did love her.....he's just not thankful for her yet!

Potty training

2008-06-29T09:38:00.002-06:00

Jack just ran into the room and informed me that he had made a moon. I went to see what he was talking about, and sure enough, there in the potty was a perfect moon, a moon of his own making. Potty training is such an empowering process for our big boy. And it is so full of proud moments for me as a father. i celebrate things I never thought about before, and each celebration is sincere. I really am excited about this stuff...and not just because I am tired of wiping his bum, changing his diapers and so on. I am just excited to see him so excited about something that I no longer get too excited about for myself. Wouldn't it be weird if in fact we did all celebrate bowel movements for each other, no matter our age and experience level? High fives, chest bumps...the whole nine yards. That'd be a world I would want to live in, for sure.

Jana is gonna kill me for this post!

2008-06-20T20:51:00.004-06:00

I realized something this last week...I have created, or at least taken part in the creation of, three of the most remarkable beings on Earth. Eden, Jack and Emry have absolutely captured me. I sit at work, cursing the day I ever entered adulthood and had to take an actual job, when all of a sudden, into my brain enters Eden telling her favorite knock-knock joke...or Jack's laugh and smile echoing ...or images of Emry toddling around the room. Then I start to ponder how it is that kids learn to laugh in all the right places...how babies butts and spines have to be way more shock-absorbing than adult butts and spines...and how amazing it is that each of my crazy kids is so different from the next, yet so much alike that there are times when I can't remember who did what where when why and how, to the point that I just blame and love each of them for the massive blob of fun and drool and mess and stress that they are as a whole and individually. My kids rule! My kids give me life. When they meet me at the door after work is when I wake up for the day. When they kiss me goodnight is when my day is complete. I totally dig my kids! But no way am I ready to add another!

And then there's Jana...I don't even have the words...Jana isn't just a model mother/wife/woman, Jana is no less than a supermodel of those things. Anyone that can put up for ten hours plus a day with me and three little-me's is deserving of the following, none of which she gets in near enough quantitiy: 1. Nightly massage of neck, shoulder, back, hands, feet and mind. 2. Tropical get-aways for weeks on end where the only sound to be heard is the lapping of the sea against the white sands of some deserted (childless) island. 3. Thanks. She doesn't hear it nearly enough. Thanks, Jana! 4. A bigger allowance. 5. A subscription to the magazine of her choice, because that would be sweet. Oh, and time alone to read it. 6. More. Much, much more. More than can be put into words.

I'm the luckiest man on Earth.

Say, that reminds me, anyone wanna buy a house in Boise? Man I love my family!

We're on our way!!!

2008-06-07T20:47:00.002-06:00

Yay!!!! One more sleep until we make our way up to Canada to play! The kids have been bouncing off the walls with excitment... and I must admit, I am quite excited myself! I am gearing up for the 18 hour drive....luckly we are going to spend the night at my sister's (just another little bonus!) I've refused to let my kids watch any videos this past week....I need them to be well entertained for the two days of traveling. I only wish I had some great tricks for keeping Emry happy. She hates driving longer than 20 minutes...it's going to be one LONG drive, I'm afraid!

Jana's 'new" obsession

2008-05-28T00:05:00.002-06:00

I thought I would post some pictures of what Nate would discribe as my "latest obsession." So I have had a couple ideas of how I might be able to help out with the double mortgage payments, and I may have become a tad bit absorbed in them. My first attempt didn't do so well....but, perhaps it was the attraction, not me. An event where people celebrate a headless chicken, might not really be the best place to attract customers. So with one event down, I am moving on to my next event this weekend, and hoping for better success!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-05-28T00:04:00.001-06:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-05-27T23:17:00.001-06:00

Playing in Ouray

2008-05-27T22:07:00.005-06:00

We took a much needed day to just go and play! We headed up to Ouray and had a blast! This is what you can all look forward to when you come and visit! Hiking to Box Canyon Waterfall, swimming in the hot pots (we opted for family friendly site in Ouray, instead of the freer atmosphere in Ridgeway!) and yummy ice cream to top it all off. So come on, grab your hiking shoes and swimming suit (or not, if you want to see Ridgeway) and come on down! We'd love to have you!

Eden playing "Star Wars"

2008-05-24T23:34:00.002-06:00

I'm trying!

2008-05-21T23:22:00.000-06:00

Help - I don't know how to change my format for this thing!!! I have to admit...I know so little about computers! I wanted to post some video of Eden and Emry...but I may have to save that for a later date.....I think I am doing really well to put up pictures. Now, if only I could figure out how to make them smaller and get this site to look like others!

Only one more day of school! I think I am having a tougher time than Eden is! I went to pick her up and they were carrying their art work that had been up on the walls all year long...I started to cry! How can my baby be finished with kindergarten? She is growing up too quickly for my liking! Yesterday, I had two different moms tell me that their sons were going to marry Eden. One little boy went up to his mom and said he knew who his wife was going to be....."EDEN." The other little boy told his mom that Eden was his soul mate! YIKES!!!! We are constently reminding her what great FRIENDS they are. The little boy who said Eden is his soul mate asked me to tell her something when he was getting into his car..."Tell her I love her!" Then 20 minutes later a knock came at the door and it was the other little boy, he was so sad when I opened the door...when he saw Eden, he was so happy again. When I asked his mom about it, she said that he was worried that Eden was playing with the other boy! GESH! I think it might be good that school's out for a while. I think Eden might need some time away!

Life as a single mom...

2008-04-21T21:29:00.000-06:00

Nate has been out of town for only one night and I am already feeling like it's been a week since we last saw him. We are wishing him lots of good luck as he prepares for his interviews with Target in Minneapolis this week. He comes home the end of this week....and gets to be with us for a whole week before he takes off again for interviews! If all goes well, he will have more trips and we won't see him very much, but that means that he is advancing! This round of being a single mom is going much better than last time Nate was out of town. After taking Eden to her soccer practice, I managed to unlock the doors to our Explorer...put my purse, cell phone and keys inside, turned around to take Emry out of the stroller...only to have the wind close my door and everything locked up tight. We were so blessed that Eden's soccer coach saw us and took us home. Only for me to realize that I had no way of getting inside our house and Nate was in Denver for four days. So to make a long story short....I had two very dramatic kids crying to know where we were going to live and how are we going to walk everywhere like the pioneers. I only had call six different locksmiths to finally find someone who actually was a locksmith...it only cost a small fortune to have him unlock our car.....I only had to involve one neighbor to borrow cash, because the locksmith wouldn't accept checks....but it is all over now. And this time things are going much smoother! Only all day, Jack keep saying, "Mom, you locked our car....and you locked our house.....and we don't have anywhere to go?" each time we were in the car. I think he sensed that dad was gone and we could be in for some more trouble if he didn't remind me!
We hit the ten month mark that our house in Boise has been on the market. Wow, I never would have thought that we would still be dealing with it! But we are and we are amazed at the blessings that keep pouring on us, so that we are able to make two house payments. I have become increasing obsessed with "Scentsy" and making headbands. I think that Nate must be enjoying his time away from hearing me talk of my business plans! I must admit, I quite enjoy having something of my own to do...now I just need to make all my plans a reality and start helping with the two mortgages!

homesick more than ever for our good friends in Boise

2008-04-06T21:14:00.000-06:00

Okay, this is my first attempt at blogging....I hesitate to begin on more thing - but after Amber showed me how to set this up....I need to give it a try. I just love reading what is going on with all of our good friends and family, and I think it is a wonderful way to keep a journal of our family and every time I read Amber and Brent's blog, Jack thinks that he is Carter and wants me to tell him what Jack is doing in each picture. Well, with that here I go....

We just arrived home after spending a week up in Boise to do yard work and sign with another realtor on our home in Boise. Hopefully, it will sell soon! It was so wonderful to see our friends, family, and old neighbors. Leaving Boise was just as difficult this time as it was when we moved six months ago! We had such a great time visiting and seeing everyone, that for a moment I forgot that I no longer lived there! It was very surreal to be back in our old house, now all vacant. Jack had a tremendously fun time bowling in it! Nate did so much work to get the yard looking nice again! So we all have our fingers crossed and are continuing to pray that it will SELL!

We stopped at Jodi's on our way up to Boise...and Eden was invited to spend the week with them. So of course she naturally would rather spend her time with her cousins than with mom and dad, and had a terrific time playing with them. When we arrived at Jodi's, Eden saw me and yelled, "Mom....I need to hide" and ran off into another room, so afraid that we would be leaving that very minute. Now that we are home, Eden finally has the time to talk to me. I do wish that we had more time to just play and visit with everyone, a week just isn't enough time to get everything done that needed to be done and get all the playing in that I wanted to do! But oh, how I loved being back in Boise! We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and we miss you all dearly!

Now that we are home, we need to get ready for this week. Eden begins school and soccer practice tomorrow. Eden's been out of school for ten days. Nate is headed to Denver on Thursday for work. He has a lot of traveling scheduled for this month in preparation for his interviews in May. He is doing so well right now, and we will most likely know if we will be staying in Montrose by July. Which I can honestly say that I do not look forward to moving one bit! We love the size of Montrose and have made some great friends here..it's just so far away from our old friends and our family! But for now, we are here so I'm not going to worry about moving yet!